Okay, so I have bought the app, got it configured so I can see what is in my library using content server connection.

I have no options to download any books, or modify them in any way.

When connected to the content server you are seeing the books in your library. Tap on a book to see the book's details. At that point, and assuming that you have told CC that it can download the formats for the book, you will see two items in the action bar: the preferred format (highest in your priority list) and the word "All". Under "All" you will find all the formats you have allowed to be sent. See the screen capture below.

Alternately when I connect via wireless I see nothing, just says I'm connected.....

So far the app is useless..... what gives?

See FAQ #5 in the above mentioned thread. To paraphrase it here: when you connect as a wireless device, just as for all devices that calibre manages, calibre is in charge. You use calibre on your computer to send books to the device (in bulk), remove books, or query what is on the device.

When connected to the content server you are seeing the books in your library. Tap on a book to see the book's details. At that point, and assuming that you have told CC that it can download the formats for the book, you will see two items in the action bar: the preferred format (highest in your priority list) and the word "All". Under "All" you will find all the formats you have allowed to be sent. See the screen capture below.

If you don't see any allowed formats then you have not told CC that the book's format is acceptable for downloading. By default CC uses epub, mobi, azw, and pdf. If you want some other format such as CBZ you must inform CC. See the FAQs in the thread Calibre Companion Android App: Information, Change Log, and FAQ, and in particular FAQs 11 and 12.
See FAQ #5 in the above mentioned thread. To paraphrase it here: when you connect as a wireless device, just as for all devices that calibre manages, calibre is in charge. You use calibre on your computer to send books to the device (in bulk), remove books, or query what is on the device.

Okay...I had it set up correctly...but am still not pleased so far. It's just not very user friendly. Nothing to indicate that clicking on the file type would then let you do other tasks. I've now got it working as well as it will.... it's just not what I thought it would be..... and I had already purchased Aldiko and can already connect with that to my library and download books directly into that app. One stop solution.

Okay...I had it set up correctly...but am still not pleased so far. It's just not very user friendly. Nothing to indicate that clicking on the file type would then let you do other tasks. I've now got it working as well as it will.... it's just not what I thought it would be..... and I had already purchased Aldiko and can already connect with that to my library and download books directly into that app. One stop solution.

aldiko can neither connect to calibre as a device nor use calibre's metadata. If neither of these interest you then I agree, CC is not for you.

Quote:

I'd go so far as asking for a refund....

We are happy to offer refunds to people not satisfied with CC. Life is too short to stress over such things. Send email from in CC to contact my son Steven, who will be able to help you.

aldiko can neither connect to calibre as a device nor use calibre's metadata. If neither of these interest you then I agree, CC is not for you.We are happy to offer refunds to people not satisfied with CC. Life is too short to stress over such things. Send email from in CC to contact my son Steven, who will be able to help you.

aldiko can neither connect to calibre as a device nor use calibre's metadata.

I just wanted to let you know that Aldiko can connect to my Calibre library - the same as with CC.

I've attached 4 screen shots showing what it looks like once the connection has been made, through to a downloaded book showing in my library.

Not that I am trying to bash CC, it's an okay program if you want to do the wireless thing...but you had mentioned that you don't have access to your metadata in Aldiko and if you look at the book details you can see that it does show up - even custom fields.(read)

Now if you could modify the data related to the books, like change the rating after you have read it, mark it as read etc right from within CC, then I can see the advantage, but it would appear that you cannot do this in either CC or Aldiko. One other point - Aldiko is cheaper.

I just wanted to let you know that Aldiko can connect to my Calibre library - the same as with CC.

I've attached 4 screen shots showing what it looks like once the connection has been made, through to a downloaded book showing in my library.

Not that I am trying to bash CC, it's an okay program if you want to do the wireless thing...but you had mentioned that you don't have access to your metadata in Aldiko and if you look at the book details you can see that it does show up - even custom fields.(read)

Now if you could modify the data related to the books, like change the rating after you have read it, mark it as read etc right from within CC, then I can see the advantage, but it would appear that you cannot do this in either CC or Aldiko. One other point - Aldiko is cheaper.

Of course it can connect to calibre's content server and download books. I never said it could not. However, it cannot read calibre's metadata. Instead it reads any metadata available from inside the book itself, and the metadata available depends on what the book format can contain. For example, aldiko does not "see" any information in a calibre custom column such as #genre or #read. If the book is a PDF, then aldiko cannot see much more than author and title, and perhaps tags.

More important, aldiko will not see subsequent changes to calibre's metadata. For example, download a book to aldiko from calibre's content server. Now change the author name, series name, series number, a tag, or any other metadata in calibre. Even assuming that the metadata is included in the book format, Aldiko has no idea that you have made these changes and cannot know that you have made these changes unless you manually download the book again. CC will see these changes the next time you connect as a wireless device, without re-downloading the books. CC's sorting and grouping automatically will take the new information into account. To repeat, in CC there is no need to download the book again, or even to worry about whether the books with the changed metadata have ever been downloaded in the past. The metadata for downloaded books will be updated every time you connect as a wireless device.

If all you want is to copy books to your device, then CC isn't for you. There are lots of ways to do that including aldiko or fbreader or moon+ or other reader apps (many free), dropbox (especially with dropsync), windows explorer, and the like. However, if you want to be able to see a book's metadata on your device and you want the metadata on your device to track automatically what you enter in calibre, then the only solution I know of is CC. No reader app that I am aware of, including aldiko, can do this.

Summary: I am not arguing that if all you want is calibre content server integration to copy books to your device then CC is somehow superior to the reader apps mentioned above. What I am arguing is that if you actively use calibre to manage metadata for your books then CC gives you something that no other app does: direct access to calibre's metadata up-to-date as of the last connect as a wireless device, not the metadata buried inside the book as of when it was downloaded. CC also gives access to calibre features such as automatic download of news, integration with plugins like reading list, and calibre's "on device" indicators. Apps based solely on calibre's content server give you none of these.

Last edited by chaley; 11-28-2012 at 06:54 PM.
Reason: forward references and grammar

Let me start by agreeing with you, if all you want is limited access to your calibre library via calibre's content server then Calibre Companion isn't for you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyndersk

I just wanted to let you know that Aldiko can connect to my Calibre library - the same as with CC.

There are many readers that connect to calibre's content server. The limitation of connecting via the content server is one book at a time. So saying "the same as with CC" is very deceptive because connecting to content server isn't CC's primary way of connecting to calibre and is a very small part of what CC does.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyndersk

Not that I am trying to bash CC, it's an okay program if you want to do the wireless thing...

The "wireless thing" as you describe it allows me to connect to calibre as a device. I am able to send 2000+ books to my Nexus 7 in under 20 minutes. Further more if I desire I can setup CC so all my comics go to one directory, my PDFs to a second directory, my ePubs to a third directory and my mobis to another directory.

Utilizing CC I can easily group and sort by most every major metadata category I have in calibre, including custom metadata. I have a user category setup called All by Author that sorts all of my books by author, series and title in one list. I have another that sorts by books read or not read.

If I launch a ePub from CC it automatically opens in the reader of my choice. The same is true for other ebook formats.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyndersk

Now if you could modify the data related to the books, like change the rating after you have read it, mark it as read etc right from within CC, then I can see the advantage

You can not do this from CC, but as I update the ratings, books read, covers etc... in calibre the next time I connect to calibre as a wireless device it takes about a minute and a half to update the metadata of all the 2000+ books on my device. All updated without resending any books to my device.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyndersk

One other point - Aldiko is cheaper.

True, but it is limited in what it can do. I would say you get what you pay for, but truthfully buying Calibre Companion for $2.99 I got much more value than the app cost.

Contrary to the above, I have found CC to be worth every penny and I couldn't have said it any better than Dr. Ohh. I was able to download 60 books in no time with all of the metadata and appropriate covers. Then downloading books to my fav reading app was a breeze and was able to download all 60 in less than a minute. I use Aldiko for novels and Moonreader+ for books that I use heavy highlighting and bookmarking. Via CC settings, I was also able to import azw3 right into K4A. It would have taken much longer to go through ereader apps catalogue to get the books, not to mention the problems I initially had with connecting to the server.

Now if in the future I find that ideal ereader app, (I'm fickle) I will be able to mass transfer all of the books again into my ereader app of choice.